Welcome to the August Edition of the Source & Connect Newsletter

We've had a lot going on at Source & Connect. There's more ahead too, with projects starting from September through to January and a wave of permanent recruitment in progress for one of our key clients.

This month's newsletter covers what we've been working on, including a new podcast episode featuring Vikki Szymanski, a Business Design and Strategy Lead whose background in law shapes a distinctive view of transformation: less about systems, more about people, alignment, and where value really sits.

We're also sharing what registering with Source & Connect means for contractors and clients, as well as how permanent D365 careers progress well beyond go-live.

As always, our aim is to bring you insight that's practical and relevant. Whether you're hiring, delivering, or thinking about what's next for your career, we hope you enjoy this month's edition.

A Note from the Director

July has flown by! Between summer holidays and end-of-year school events, it's been a busy, fast-moving month. I've just returned from Portugal with the kids – one of my favourite places to be!

Behind the scenes, we've been discussing what's next. Several projects are set to start in September and October, with a further wave planned for January, so there's plenty ahead. We're actively growing our contractor bench in preparation. If you're not yet on our radar, get in touch.

We're also gearing up for a wave of permanent recruitment for one of our key Big4 clients in September. To prepare, we've been talent pooling to ensure the right people are ready when those roles land.

It's encouraging to see four key F&O roles live at the moment, a shift from previous months when Business Central tended to lead. This is a sign of where demand is heading across the D365 landscape.

Preparations are well underway for our D365 Women's Event, taking place on 23rd September in London. We're still adding names to the guest list, so if you'd like to join, get in touch.

 🎙️ D365 Insights by Source & Connect — New Episode

The D365 contract market has changed significantly in the last few years.

This month we released episode 19, featuring Vikki Szymanski, a Business Design and Strategy Lead who has spent most of her career contracting across financial services, consultancy, and now the public sector. Vikki's background is in law, not tech, and that shapes how she talks about transformation: less about systems, more about people, alignment, and where value sits.

Vikki describes her role as a bridge between business and technical teams — not simply translating between them, but bringing both sides to a shared understanding of the problem they're solving. Her view is that transformation programmes stall for a simple reason: people think they've agreed on the outcome, but they haven't. That misalignment stays hidden until delivery is underway, by which point it's much harder to fix.

She's direct about how the contract market has changed. Roles that once rewarded broad, transferable experience now demand specific, recent, sector-matched expertise. Contractors have to make the case for their value repeatedly, rather than relying on reputation or experience. Vikki talks openly about working with a coach to reframe how she articulates her own worth, and now mentors more than a dozen women in tech through the same challenge.

Key themes from the episode:

• Problems get solved by aligning people around a shared outcome, not by the system itself

• Testers and trainers add the most value when involved early, not brought in to validate at the end

• Demonstrating value has replaced availability as the differentiator in today's contract market

• Confidence in your own worth has to be actively reframed; it doesn't arrive on its own

Vikki's message to clients: focus on the problem you're solving, not the system you're buying. Technology is only the enabler.

Her advice for candidates and contractors navigating a tougher market: stop saying yes to everything, and get clear on where your value sits.

🎧 Listen to D365 Insights by Source & Connect

Spotify

YouTube

Or search "D365 Insights by Source & Connect"

Contractor Bench – What Registering With Us Means

Organisations that reach out for contract support are often dealing with complexity in ownership, capacity and delivery pressure. The same applies to contractors considering their next move.

Here's what working or registering with Source & Connect means.

We don't cover every contract requirement in the market. We focus on specific Dynamics 365 programmes where specialist expertise, delivery judgement and transparency matter most.

In practice, that means:

• Many discussions begin before a role is advertised, while the programme is still working out what it needs

• We work with clients and partners to understand context, ownership and constraints, not just skill requirements

• We're honest when something isn't the right fit, technically or culturally

• We prioritise long-term delivery relationships over one-off placements

For contractors, this means:

• Clearer expectations and scope

• Engagements where experience and input are valued

• Programmes that value communication and judgement, not just task completion

We're also having more conversations about career direction and positioning, helping people decide without pressure.

Registering with us isn't about volume. It's about being part of a network built on trust and reliable delivery.

If you're a client navigating a complex delivery phase, or a contractor considering your next step, get in touch.

Careers That Grow With the System

Candidates often want to know what happens after the implementation.

Permanent Dynamics 365 careers don't stop at go-live. On the end-user side, we regularly see progression from:

• Systems or Support roles into Product Ownership, Application Leadership or Head of Systems

• Data and Power BI specialists moving into strategic insight and decision-support roles

• Project and Programme Managers moving into wider transformation or portfolio roles

On the partner side, careers often develop from:

• Consultant → Lead → Architect

• Delivery leads into practice leadership or director-level roles

• Delivery professionals moving into roles combining delivery and business development

As organisations invest in D365 long term, permanent roles increasingly factor in progression, retention and influence.

We're increasingly supporting career direction, confidence and positioning, because a permanent role is about growth, not just the next step.

If you're building long-term D365 capability as a business, or you're a contractor with specialist expertise looking for what's next, we'd like to hear from you.